Engine-starter.



V. BENDIX.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 30, 1916.

1,274,371. Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

WITNESSES.-

INVENDTOR. wzfnm%iw M J0 ATTORNEYS.

' VINCENT BENDIX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918 Application filed October 30, 1916. Serial No. 128,478.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, VINCENT BENDIX, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and btate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in EngineStarters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a starter for an engine, such as a gas engine, and pertains to the transmission or drive interposed between the starting motor and a part of the engine to be started. The drive herein described and claimed embodies as a material part of its organization that type of drive or transmission exemplified in patents heretofore issued to me, for instance, Patent N 0. 1,125,935, dated January 26, 1915, and Patout No. 1,172,864, dated February 22, 1916. This type of engine starter is characterized by a prime mover (such as an electric motor or motor-generator of the two unit and single unit starter systems respectively) and a transmission or drive for transmitting the power of the motor by means of a rotatable member, such as a screw shaft, and a driving member such as a pinion mounted thereon, for transmitting the power of the motor to some member or part of the engine to be started, such as the fly-wheel thereof.

My present invention consists in combining with said type 'of drive or transmission suitable reduction gearing between such drive and the engine part, such as the flywheel, it being understood that in the organization in which my invention is embodied the pinion of the regular drive does not mesh with the fly-wheel but with the reduction gearing which in turn meshes with the fly-wheel. In this manner and by these means I am enabled to rovide a simple and efficient transmission iaving a reduction gearing intermediate the regular drive and the fly-wheel instead of between the motor and the screw shaft. 7

In the drawing the single figure is a sectional elevation, the regular transmission or drive being in elevation and the reduction gearing and associated parts in section.

The construction and mode of operation of the regular or standard Bendix drive-embodied the organization about to be explained are the same as that set forth in my patents aforesaid with the exception that the pinion does not mesh with the reduction gearing. merely designate the principal parts by ref- It will therefore be sufiicient to erence numerals as follows: 1 is the extended armature shaft mounted 111 a bearing a of a casing A wluch is attached to the starting motor indicated at B, or otherwise sup-' adapted to be meshed with the gear teeth 5 of a fly-wheel 5 or other rotatable part of the engine to be started.

Describing the reduction gearing in detail, the same consists of a gear 6 which in practice is twice the diameter of the pinion 3. This gear has a hubor sleeve portion 7 which carries a pinion 8 which by preference is formed as an integral part thereof. This gear and pinion are mounted upon the stationary shaft 9 and are capable of both rotary and longitudinal movements thereon. This shaft is supported at its outer end in the bearing a of the casing A and at its inner end in the boss 7) of the startin motor casing. This gear and pinion are he d in its normal or home position to the right as shown in the drawing, with a yielding pressure as by means of the coiled spring 10 which holds the pinion 8 against the distance sleeve 11. I

Describing the mode of operation and starting with the parts in their normal position shown in thedrawing, the pinion 3 will be advanced longitudinally toward the left' on the screw shaft when the motor is started and the screw shaft thereby caused to rotate. After the pinion has come into full mesh with the gear 6 the disk 3 of the pinion 3 will contact the right hand side of the gear 6 and as the pinion 3 continues to advance, such gear will be moved bodily toward the left against the tension of the spring 10. As a result the pinion 8 will be moved into mesh with the fly-wheel gear 5? and this longitudinal movement will continue until the pinion 3 comes into contact with the stop nut 12 on the screw shaft, whereupon the pinion will rotate in unison with the screw shaft and consequently the reduction gearing will likewise rotate and 7 thereby cause the rotation of the'fiywheel.

WVhen the engine starts on its own power the pinion 3 will be automatically moved longitudinally toward the right and the spring 10 will move the gear in that same direction, and consequently the pinion 8 will be demeshed with the fly-wlieel. The parts thereupon assume their normal pos1- tion shown in the drawing.

It is evident that my invention is applicable to both the two and single unit types of starters and, therefore, while I have spoken of the motor B merely as a starting motor, it will be understood that the same may be a motor-generator of the two unit type.

I claim:

1. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and normally inoperative reduction means between such driving member and a part of the engine to be started and controlled by and made operative when the driving member is actuated.

2. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such driving member and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing being normally out of operative engagement with both of them but controlled by said driving member.

3. In' a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate the driving member and a part of the engine to be started and mounted for bodily movement longitudinally, said gearing being located in the path of movement of the driving member and moved longitudinally thereby.

4. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, andnormally inoperative reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started and controlled by and made operative when the pinion is actuated.

5. In a drive of the character described,

engagement with the pinion and engine part but arranged to be engaged therewith by the longitudinal movement of such pinion.

,6. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be t'started, said gearing being mounted for bodily movement longitudinally to bring it into engagement with said engine part and being engaged by the pinion on its longitudinal movement and subsequently rotated thereby.

7 In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith'and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing being mounted for bodily movement longitudinally and comprising a gear and a second pinion controlled and operated thereby, the former being adapted to engage the engine part, and the latter being adapted to be moved longitudinally and subsequently rotated by the first pinion.

8. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing being mounted for bodily movement longitudinally and comprising a gear and a second pinion controlled and operated thereby, the former being adapted to engage the engine part, and the latter being adapted to be moved longitudinally and subsequently rotated by the first pinion, and means for restoring the gearing to normal position. i'

9. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing being mounted for bodily movement longitudinally and comprising a gear and a second pinion controlled and operated thereby, the former being adapted to engage the engine part, and the latter being adapted to be moved longitudinally and subsequently rotated by the first pinion, and a spring acting on the gearing for restoring it to normal position.

10. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing comprising a gear of larger diameter than the pinion and having a hub, a second pinion on the hub, and a shaft on which said gear and hub rotate and also move longitudinally, the gear being arranged in the path of the first pinion for initial meshing therewith, then bodily movement thereby and final rotary movement therewith,

11. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable screw shaft, a pinion mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and reduction gearing intermediate such pinion and a part of the engine to be started, said gearing comprising a gear of larger diameter than the pinion and having a hub, a second pinion on the hub, and a shaft on which said gear and hub rotate and also move longitudinally, said first pinion being arranged in its longitudinal movement to mesh with the gear and having a projection adapted to contact with such gearing and to move it and its pinion bodily longitudinally to bring the second pinion into mesh with the engine part, said first pinion being arranged in its rotary movement to drive the reduction gearing.

12. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and reduction means which is operated and controlled by the driving mem ber and which is adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with a part of the engine to be started.

13. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a rotatable member driven thereby, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a second shaft parallel with the firstnamed shaft, and reduction means mounted on the second shaft for rotary movement thereon and longitudinal movemounted on the second shaft for rotary movement thereon and longitudinal movement thereof, said gearing being operated and controlled by the driving member and adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with a part of the engine to be started.

15. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a rotatable member driven thereby, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a second shaft parallel with the firstnamed shaft, reduction means mounted on the second shaft for rotary movement thereon and longitudinal movement thereof, said means being operated. and controlled by the driving member and adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with a part of the engine to be started, and means for yieldingly holding the reduction means in an inoperative position.

16. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a rotatable member driven thereby, a driving member mounted thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a second shaft parallel with the firstnamed shaft, reduction means mounted on the second shaft for rotary movement thereon and longiti'idinal movement thereof, said means being operated and controlled-by the driving member and adapted to be thereby operatively engaged with apart of the engine to be started, and a spring for yieldingly holding the reduction means in an in operative position,

' VINCENT BENDIX. 

